


Watching Over You

by orphan_account



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Afterlife, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Coma, Family Bonding, Hurt Klaus Hargreeves, Klaus Hargreeves Needs A Hug, Near Death Experiences, Out of Body Experiences
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-09
Updated: 2019-09-18
Packaged: 2020-08-13 22:40:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20181883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Klaus wasn’t rescued by Eudora, his captors shot him and left him to die. But maybe he still has a chance to survive and make things right...





	1. The Shot

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! None if this is gonna be medically accurate but imma try. Hope you enjoy x

No one was coming to save him. Klaus knew that all along, but deep down he had hoped for an unexpected rescue. There he was, tied to a chair, wearing nothing but a towel, covered in his own blood, like a damsel in distress. The worst part? In that moment, he was the most sober he had been in a very long time, which meant he was surrounded by far too many ghosts for such a small room. Clearly his torturers where trained killers, their victims had made that much clear. As the masked murders bickered with each other, Klaus pondered his fate. _Would he be tied to his killers in the afterlife, stuck following them around? Would he be free to haunt the earth as he pleased? Would he finally be able to hug Ben without falling straight through him?_ Some thoughts scared him, others excited him. He had died so many times, and had never cared. Yet this time it was different, he wasn’t the one in control. Every overdose had been his fault, his decision. His death being in the hands of someone else was much more terrifying. He didn’t know whether to beg for his life or accept that this would be the end. Instinct decided for him, and he began to bargain with his kidnappers, offering any information he could without placing his family in danger. Even though they weren’t coming to save him, he still couldn’t put them in harms way. He wondered if they had even noticed and if they did, did they just not care? That was when the tears began to fall. They were unstoppable. If he was lucky, he would drown in his own tears. But when was he ever lucky?

“Let’s just get rid of him. We clearly aren’t gonna find Five by waiting in here!” the female captor waved her hands about dramatically, frustrated with her partner’s unwillingness to admit defeat and try again.

“Fine! If you wanna kill him, go ahead. Then let’s get the hell out of this crappy motel!” the male replied reluctantly as he began to collect his belongings. 

This was it, Klaus thought to himself. “Goodbye, Ben.” He whispered towards his brother, knowing that the two would no longer be tethered. His brother would finally be free. No more watching Klaus drink uncontrollably and get higher than Ben ever thought a person could. _Maybe dying would be for the best_, Klaus thought.

The assassins made their way to the door ready to leave.

The woman turned and pointed a gun towards Klaus.

A single gunshot echoed around the room, and then complete silence.

* * *

Eudora Patch didn’t like to ask others for help, yet here she was, waiting for Diego to show up. There were too many rooms in this motel for her to find his missing brother by herself. She glance around, then back at her watch. _I swear to god he has no idea how time works_, she thought to herself, angry at Diego for never being on time. A black figure emerged from the darkness, slowly creeping towards her. She rolled her eyes as she did every time she saw him, _he really showed up in his vigilante outfit... What an idiot._

“Took you long enough”, she exclaimed as he approached her.

“What did Klaus do this time?” He was clearly in a bad mood. His body language, tone and general demeanour made that evident.

“You said your brother was missing. Didn’t you? I found a note on a van saying that they were holding him here! Quit asking questions and let’s get searching, okay?”

“Y-yeah… Yeah, okay. Let’s go”

Efficiently, the pair made their way from room to room, growing more and more frustrated as their search came up empty. So far they had found fighting couples and empty darkness. If only they knew which rooms were being used so they didn’t have to check every single one. It was tiring, but they needed to find Klaus. Another door was opened. Empty. Before she opened the next door, a footprint caught her attention. It was faint but definitely there. Someone had clearly been in this room. “Hey Diego” she whisper-yelled, trying to get his attention. “This room’s been used recently, look” she pointed towards the floor, drawing his eyes towards the footprint. “On three, okay?

ONE

TWO

THREE”

Diego kicked down the door and Patch stormed the room, gun held high, prepared for potential danger. She wasn’t prepared for what she found. Her training came into play, she checked the room for hiding suspects then inspected the victim, searching for a pulse. She found it, it was faint but definitely there. “Diego grab my radio. Call for backup and an ambulance.” No response… “NOW DIEGO” she screamed as she tried to keep pressure on the wound. Turning to look at him, she suddenly remembered why they were here. This was Diego’s brother, lying in a pool of his own blood slowly dying from a gunshot wound. Diego was clearly in shock, she would have to handle this situation herself.

* * *

Diego barely registered anything that happened after he locked on the body on the floor. Loud sirens and Eudora’s yells couldn’t bring him out of his paralysed state. His brother was dying. He didn’t notice Klaus being rushed from the room to the hospital. He didn’t notice Eudora dragging him from his spot in the corner of the room towards her car. He didn’t notice arriving at the hospital. All he could think about was Klaus, he couldn’t protect his brother. He had failed.


	2. The Creator

Klaus had never experience silence before. Every second of every day he was haunted by the screams and wails of the dead. Yet, as The Séance awoke the first thing he noticed was the sound of nothing. He hadn’t found a single place on Earth that was absent of spirits, clearly wherever he was right now wasn’t the world he knew. Slowly, he climbed to his feet, taking in his surroundings. There wasn’t anything he recognised, just a simple country lane surrounded by unending fields. Finally realisation dawned on him. His captors had shot him. No one had come to rescue him. There was no doubt in him mind… Klaus Hargreeves must be dead. It was the only theory he could think of that could possibly explain the lack of angry ghosts at his side.

Before he could ponder what life after death would be like, the jingle of a bike bell echoed between the trees behind him. The child riding the bike clearly wanted his attention as the ringing didn’t seem to stop until they were finally side by side. Confidently, the young girl cleared her throat, a serious expression on her face as she dismounted the bicycle.

“Klaus Hargreeves. I guess it was time we finally met”, she spoke with an intensity Klaus had never experience before. She definitely wasn’t the kind to mess around.

“And you are?” Klaus responded, a sarcastic smile accompanying the question. The child sighed impatiently, unwilling to dignify that question with an answer.

“I think you know exactly who I am. Let me put this simply for you… I don’t like you, I don’t want you here, but there are some things we must discuss before you can return. I created you. All of you. Every man, woman and child is mine…”

“Can I offer some constructive criticism then? Cos you really messed up with old Reggie. He was a monster!” Klaus laughed tauntingly, desperate to try and provoke the person responsible for his miserable existence.

“Quiet. Do you have no manners? You should be more respectful towards the one that gave you life. We don’t have much time, so shut your mouth and listen for once. I’m sure Five has made you aware that the apocalypse is coming and it appears to be out of my control. As powerful as I am, I am not able to bring an entire species back from a sudden extinction. So, my only option is to try and prevent it. The problem is that I don’t know what caused it. What I do know is that one of your siblings is responsible. I have ruled out you and Five, but there is only so much I can do while also having to watch over every human being in existence.”

“What exactly are you asking me to do. Honestly, you should learn to keep your stories short, cos I’m really losing interest here.”

“Billions of lives are at stake, Four! I’m going to send you back to Earth, you won’t be dead but you won’t be awake either. You lost a lot of blood from a gunshot wound, so you will remain in a coma for two days. While in the coma, you will be much like the ghosts you are well acquainted with, able to see and hear everything and move around the planet freely. I am trusting you with an extremely important mission, Klaus. Watch your siblings, figure out who will cause the destruction of everything and do your best to stop it. I am not the begging kind, Four, but right now I am begging you to save us all…”

Before Klaus could ask any questions, a sudden strong pull dragged him away from the girl. He felt himself falling, once again returning to the life he was so desperate to escape from. Then, much like the moment he died, everything went black.

* * *

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

A steady noise began ringing through his ears, the darkness slowly clearing from his vision. True to her word, the creator had returned Klaus to earth in a ghostly state, his body trapped in a coma. Getting up from the floor, he paced around the hospital room, contemplating his next move. _One of my siblings will destroy the planet_, the thought terrified him more than he thought possible. In his mind, three of them had the potential to cause apocalypse. Luther had been shipped off to the moon by Reginald, all alone watching the earth turn from miles and miles away. That would be enough to drive anyone crazy. Diego was always quick to anger, throwing knives without even thinking. Allison’s child had been taken from her, her once picture perfect life now in shambles. Maybe the three of them finally snapped and brought about Armageddon together.

The sound of a door opening distracted Klaus abruptly. A pale Diego rushed into the room, placing himself in the chair at his brothers side, followed by a woman Klaus didn’t recognise. Tear stains covered The Kraken’s cheeks, hands shaking in distress. Number Four had never seen his brother in a state like this. He never knew just how much Diego had cared for him. All the times he overdosed, all the times he was arrested, all the times needed shelter, one person had never let him down. Regret instantly enveloped Klaus as he realised all the pain he had put Diego through. In that moment, all he wanted was to comfort his brother, apologise for taking him for granted. But he couldn’t do that. Diego couldn’t see him. The only way to repay Number Two was to do everything in his power to prevent the apocalypse.


	3. The Phone Call

For the past hour, Klaus had been sat next to his own unusually still body, desperately trying to organise his thoughts. First he had died. Then he met God, who sent him back to earth. Now he was outside of his comatose body and was expected to help prevent an apocalyptic event caused by an currently unidentified Hargreaves sibling. _Think Klaus, Think!_ He told himself repeatedly in an attempt to figure things out. Why couldn't he just have one sibling, that would make deciphering who triggers armageddon so much simpler. 

It was incredibly hard for him to concentrate. Not because of his recent brush with death. Nor was it an affect from being outside of his own body. It was due the sad, hunched over silhouette, silently crying in the corner. Diego hadn’t moved since he had arrived, choosing instead to wait at Klaus's side like a guard dog, ready to attack. Number Two wasn’t going to allow anyone else to hurt his brother. This was a side of Diego, Klaus had never seen before. Diego was always affectionate towards Grace but he had never displayed such emotion towards any of his siblings. All the times he had given Klaus shelter for a night or taken him to yet another rehab facility, Diego kept his feelings locked away, deciding to maintain an unbothered expressing while Klaus's stability deteriorated. It brought teats to number Fours eyes, thinking about all he had put Diego through in the past few years. Slowly, he inched closer towards his brother, praying to the person who created him to allow Two to feel his presence.

But of course Diego didn’t notice.

A loud ringing disrupted the eerie silence, the flashing of Diego’s phone becoming blinding in the dimly lit hospital room. The Kraken cleared his throat as he answered the call. Unfortunately Klaus wasn't able to get a glance of the name flashing across the screen. But if Diego's expression was anything to go by, it was probably an unpleasant caller...

“H…H Hello”

“Diego where the hell are you! In case you forgot we have assassins after us, we don’t have time for you to be running around town playing batman!” Klaus could hear the disdain in Luther's voice. His disgust at Diego’s vigilante career was almost as intense as his general feelings towards Klaus's entire existence.

“You… You think I don’t understand how serious this situation is! S…Screw you, Luther! Those assassins took Klaus when they attacked us and none of us noticed. They tortured him and tried to kill him. He’s barely still alive!”

It seemed like an eternity before Luther responded, clearly trying to wrap his head around the unfolding events. Knowing Number One, he was probably formulating a plan in his head, a plan in which he was no doubt the hero.

“Okay, are you at the hospital?”

“No, we’re at the movie theatre. YES WE ARE AT THE HOSPITAL YOU DUMBASS”

“Get yourself together, Diego! Come back to the house, Five has more information for us about the apocalypse he keeps going on about. The doctors will take care of Klaus.”

Klaus had seen Diego angry so many times that he had lost count, but he had never seen him with so much fury in his eyes. What Luther said had struck Number Two in a way nothing had before. Usually he would throw a knife in an act of defiance but this moment called for his sharp tongue.

“What is wrong with you? Our brother almost died. He was kidnapped and we didn’t come after him! We let him down. Dear old Reggie isn’t here anymore, Luther. You don’t have to treat everything like a mission. No one’s going to scold you for showing a bit of emotion towards Klaus. He needed us and we weren’t there. There is no way in hell I am leaving his side now. If you want a family meeting, have it here. Maybe seeing how seriously Klaus was hurt will knock some sense into you!" Before Luther could even begin to formulate his argument, Diego had hung up the phone.

Klaus had a tsunami of tears rolling down his pale complexion. No one had ever stood up for him like Diego just had. For the first time in forever, Number Four felt loved, like he truly mattered to someone. If he wanted to tell Diego how thankful he was for everything Two had done for him, then Klaus needed a game plan. He was never usually one for following rules, preferring to wing it more often than not. But the outcome of this mission was to important to just let the universe take the wheel...


	4. The Meeting

Klaus had always hated family meetings. Whether they be led by Reginald or his precious Number One, family meetings usually ended with at least four out of seven children feeling useless and alone. But this meeting was different. The Umberella Academy sat, drowning in tension, in Number Four’s hospital room.

Luther obnoxiously cleared his throat, trying to gain attention and establish himself as the meeting leader. All eyes turned towards him, each pair holding a different expression. Diego glared in anger, Allison watched with trust, Five focused impatiently and Vanya peered in fear. Though none of them could see it, Klaus’s gaze was trained solely on Diego. His brother was ready for a fight, hands twitching in anticipation, and that was the last thing anyone needed right now.

“Get on with it, ape-boy.” Spite dripped from Diego’s lips as he spat his words at Luther. Before One could even form a retaliation, Five jumped between the two boys.

“We don’t have time for your petty fighting! I have an apocalypse to stop.” The seriousness in Five’s voice was intense and somewhat threatening. The Boy meant business, not that Diego cared.

  
“Ha! You think Luther will give a damm about your stupid apocalypse? The only death he gave a shit about was dear old dad’s. He probably would’ve preferred if Klaus had died, less of a problem for you, right number one?”

“That’s not true Diego and you know it,” Number Three stated, giving Diego a poisonous glare. As Allison sprang to Luther’s defence, Five vanished from the room unnoticed by all but Vanya and Klaus.

“Uhm… guys.” Vanya attempted to draw attention to Five’s sudden disappearance, but failed as her siblings chose to ignore her in favour of their ongoing dramatics, much like they had their entire lives.

“Why are you defending him? Nevermind, I think we all know why… what’s the saying? Incest is best, put your brother to the test!”

And with that, the fight was no longer limited to words and fists began flying.

Meanwhile, in the corner of the room, Klaus curled in on himself. Panic spread through his veins causing tears to leak from his eyes. How the hell was he supposed to stop the apocalypse while his family was once again at each other’s throats. What he didn’t realise was that, though his body and mind seemed physically separate, emotionally they remained connected. As he openly sobbed, invisible to the world around him, the comatose body in the hospital bed began to shed tears too. Slowly and silently, small droplets of water ran down the pale and still face.

Vanya was the first to notice. While Allison attempted to talk Luther down, Patch had returned having heard the commotion from the hallway. The two women managed to create distance between the fighting brothers, ensuring no more Hargreeves would end up hospitalised. So, much like when five jumped from the room, Vanya was responsible for drawing her siblings attention to Klaus. She knew her siblings would dismiss her if she spoke, so she opted for a different tactic. As quick as she could, Vanya grabbed the object nearest to her and launched it at Diego’s head. Luckily, her hands had found a empty plastic cup as opposed to the multiple heavy and sharp objects placed around the room.

“What the hell!” Diego yelled at Vanya, questioning why on Earth quiet number Seven was throwing things at him. Before he could ask anything, she pointed strongly towards Klaus's frozen body, drawing attention to his tear stained face.

“Oh my god, Klaus!” Instantly, Two was at his brothers side, grasping his hands tightly. He stared desperately at Klaus's closed eyes, hoping they would suddenly open.

But they didn’t, and it broke Diego even more.

“We can’t keep doing this to each other”, Vanya suggested timidly. “Klaus almost died because no one noticed he was gone, Five has left again and you were all too busy fighting to realise, who knows what’s gonna happen next! So… what’s the plan. We can’t just sit here and wait for something to happen.”

For the first time, the one they all considered ordinary had taken control of the situation. She led the room with an empathy that Luther lacked and the relaxed nature that contrasted Diego greatly. Allison smiled at her sister, both proud and surprised by Vanya’s sudden confidence. “You’re right, Vanya. I think I know what we should do. Someone needs to go back to the academy and look through dads stuff, see if there’s anything that can help us.”

Unsurprisingly, Luther was the first to volunteer himself for the job. “I’ll do it”, he demanded.

  
“Absolutely not!” Luther stared at Allison in disbelief as she instantly shot down his attempt to volunteer. “You’ll look for answers to _your_ questions, but we need the answers to questions that may not align with yours. Vanya, would you mind doing that? You spent a lot of time at father’s side while we trained, maybe you can find things we might miss. Diego, you look for Five, hopefully your police friend here can help. I’ll go speak with Pogo, I think he knows more than he’s letting on.”

“What about me” Luther questioned.

“You stay here. Keep an eye on Klaus, make sure the people that hurt him don’t come looking for him. Protect him and while you’re at it, try to remember that life isn’t all about finishing a mission. Sometimes we just need to be there for each other.”

Tasks distributed and orders given, Allison, Vanya, Diego and Eudora made their way out of the cramped room.

Luther was suddenly alone, with no one but his comatose brother for company.

It was going to be along night.


	5. The Liability

If he wasn’t in a hospital right now, Number One would have surely unleashed his anger by punching the wall. Allison had humiliated him. He was number one, he was supposed to lead and the others saw him as a selfish liability. After everything he had done for them, saving their asses mission after mission and this was how they choose to repay him! But the person he was most angry at was Klaus. If Klaus wasn’t a druggie, then Reginald would have been summoned by now and all their questions would be answered. If Klaus wasn’t so irresponsible, he wouldn’t have gotten himself hurt. If only Klaus wasn’t such a… liability.

That was the moment everything clicked in Luther’s brain. The way he felt right now having been dismissed by his siblings was exactly how he had made Klaus feel time and time again. He’d called him useless, a deadbeat, forced him to be the lookout. Treated him as though his presence was just another obstacle for the Umbrella Academy to overcome.

Luther wasn’t much of a crier, but he could no longer hold it back.

Invisible to his brother, Klaus watched on in awe. He’d never seen Number One vulnerable and he’d definitely never seen him cry. It created an uneasy feeling deep within Number Four. He’d always seen Luther as a mini Reginald, an unrelenting monster in training. But maybe he had been wrong. Both boys had been put through torturous training and deprived of the love a child deserved. 

Physical affection was something Klaus craved, almost as much as drugs, but he’d never felt particularly affectionate towards Luther. Right now though, all he wanted was to hold his brother as he sobbed. Whatever he was crying for didn’t matter, be it the death of their father or the years of life he lost alone on the moon, Luther needed to be held. Deep down, Klaus knew he couldn’t hug his brother given his current invisible state, but that wasn’t going to stop him trying.

Luther felt that hug. He didn’t know what it was. A warmth suddenly surrounded his shoulders as the tears continued to flow and for the first time in years he felt himself relax.

While on the moon, Luther read a lot. He remembered reading something about coma patients being able to hear the world around them. So, he grabbed Klaus's hand and began to speak…

“Uhm you probably can’t hear me but here goes nothing… I’m sorry, Klaus. I know those words probably mean nothing given everything I’ve done, but they needed to be said. I’ve spent my entire life looking down on you, treating you like shit just because I could. If I could take every second of it back, I would. I’m sorry that it took me feeling like I’m the useless one for me to realise how I made you feel. You’re not a liability Klaus. I guess dad never really taught us how to care for each other, huh? I promise you my only priority right now is to keep you safe. Someone hurt you and I should have been there to stop it. Through the years I forgot what the most important job was for the team leader… protecting all of you. When I should have been focused on keeping this family together, I choose to care only about being the hero. Turns out I’m not much of a hero or a leader.”

Luther took a steadying breath, ready to say something he was sure he’d never said to his brother.

“I love you, Klaus.”

Luther was accustomed to being alone. He’d been alone in the academy once his siblings had left and then he was alone watching the earth from the moon. Now, the only company he had was his comatose younger brother.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the academy, Vanya and Allison were well into their respective tasks.

In Father’s office, Vanya skimmed through his countless notebooks. She turned page after page, staining the words with her salty tears as she explored the horrors her siblings had been put through. Reginald had never allowed her to be present during the special, individual training sessions and now she knew why. They weren’t training sessions, they were torture filled punishments. When Allison was being arrogant, he made her rumour until her throat was raw, leaving her unable to speak for days. When Five began to backchat, he was made to jump until he passed out. When Klaus was being Klaus, father locked him in a mausoleum for hours on end.

Despite her emotional state, she soldiered on, coming face to face with the traumas that plagued her siblings childhoods. She did this until she found something that caused her to freeze. Seven reread the words desperately hoping they’d change, that she hadn’t read what she though she’d read. But the black ink remained the same…

_Update on Number Seven:_  
_It appears that the medication given to Seven is beginning to fail. Her body has become to accustomed to the current dosage. At 13:40 this afternoon, an argument occurred between One and Two resulting in weapons being thrown. A knife missed Seven by several inches. Sevens fear got the best of her and the glass of water closest to Two shattered. The incident went unnoticed by all._  
_ Dosage will be increased regularly until she is no longer deemed a threat._


	6. The Truth

It had been 12 hours since Klaus found himself outside of his own body. His search for the cause of the apocalypse had been unsuccessful so far. The only thing he knew for sure was that Luther wasn’t the threat. Though he didn’t always show it, Number One cared deeply for his siblings and it was clear he would do whatever he had to keep them safe.

If he remembered correctly, the creator had told him that one of his siblings (minus himself and Five) would be responsible for ending humanity. With Luther crossed off his list, Klaus had only three suspects left.

Allison. Diego. Vanya.

Had you asked Klaus a few days ago if Vanya was capable of destroying the planet, his answer would have be a confident no. However, given that he was shot in the head, then died, met God and is now watching the world from outside of his own body, Number Four is understandably unwilling to rule out any possibilities.

Slowly and somewhat reluctantly, the Hargreeves siblings returned to their brothers hospital room. First was Diego, no longer accompanied by his cop friend. The Kraken took a seat on the other side of the room, refusing to make eye contact with One. He muttered five words to his brother and then occupied himself with sharpening his many knives.

“Five is on his way.”

Second was Allison. She too couldn’t seem to make eye contact with her brothers, choosing instead to keep her gaze focused on her expensive shoes. Allison’s arrival was almost immediately followed by a flash of blue light. Five jumped into the middle of the room, blinding his conscious siblings as he did so. Not being one to waste time, Five began questioning his family, desperately needing answers.

“Well? What did you find? I don’t have time to sit here and watch dumb and dumber brood.” He yelled, pointing towards Luther and Diego as he did so.

Klaus couldn’t hold back the smirk that took over his face. He had missed Five and his eagerness to insult his siblings.

“Pogo wasn’t much help. He just kept alluding to dads many secrets.” Silence consumed the room. Pogo was another dead end.

As if on cue, an emotional looking Vanya entered cautiously. Every one noticed instantly that something was wrong. Vanya had always been a more subdued child in comparison to the rest, but this was different. She was shaking from head to toe, hands gripped tightly around an old and worn notebook. Her eyes flickered from the floor to Klaus and back to the floor again. By Allison’s head a lightbulb smashed, destroying the unending quiet.

“Vanya? What’s wrong?” Allison’s motherly instincts kicked in and she slowly moved towards her clearly distraught sister. But, with every step closer, Seven moved another step back toward the door. Noticing the connected movements, Luther put a hand in front of Allison, enouraging her to stop.

Vanya's eyes finally moved from the floor, suddenly glaring intensely at Allison.

“Tell me he made you do it” Vanya mumbled, an accusatory tone echoing in her voice. The Umberella Academy looked at her in confusion. What had Allison done? “Please, Allison. Tell me he held a gun to your head, that he threatened you, made you feel like you had no choice. Please, I’m begging you, tell me you didn’t do it just because he told you to.” The tears were falling rapidly from both Three and Seven’s eyes.

Allison knew what her sister had found.

“He said you were sick, that your powers were causing it. He told me you were going to die. I’m so sorry Vanya!”

Almost as if she had jumped like Five, Vanya was suddenly throwing herself into Allison’s arms, seeking the comfort and reassurance she so desperately needed. Allison held her sister as she cried, her own tears falling delicately onto Vanya’s hair. Time seemed two stop for the two Hargreeves sisters. They clung to each other for dear life, scared to let go. 

“I’m sorry” Allison whispered over and over again in Vanya’s ear, hoping that with each word she could take away her sister’s pain.

Once the two sisters sobbing began to slow, Allison turned her head towards he brothers preparing herself to tell them the truth. Shame, gulilt and relief occupied her brain, all battling for dominance as she tried to make her way through an explanation.

“Vanya has powers. When we were younger dad told me that her powers were killing her. So, upon his instruction I rumoured her to forget them. I made her think she was ordinary. God, Vanya I am so sorry.”

Klaus was in shock. Reginald really made Allison rumour her own sister! He prayed to the annoying little girl he had met when he died, hoping his father was being tortured down in hell. It seemed his brothers were in the same state as him, unsure what to say and unable to speak. The only thing they could think to do was hold Vanya. Diego was first to his Seven’s side, joining Allison in comforting their broken sister. Luther and Five followed, doing the one thing Reginald had never taught them. They were taking care of each other and for the first time in forever, the Hargreeves sibling acted like a family. They comforted their sister as she wept and stayed by their brother’s side waiting for him to heal.

But all good things must come to an end.

There was a loud shot, followed by silence and then came the screams.


	7. The Unexpected

Luther was the first to react. His instincts kicked in and he rushed towards the gunshots. He yelled as he ran, instructing the innnocent patients and doctors to get down and hide. What he found as he rounded the corner caused his heart to drop.

The assholes who attacked the mansion and shot Klaus had returned to finish the job. Without a second thought, One launched himself at the assassins, and the fight began.

When Diego appeared at Luther’s side, the violence escalated rapidly. Diego lost all self control as he faced Klaus's attackers. They would not live to see tomorrow if Diego had his way. Suddenly, knives were flying and what had been shots of warning became shots to kill. Clearly on purpose, Diego aimed his knives to injure the masked figures, desperate to make them suffer. There was no way he was going to allow them a quick death.

Next to appear was Allison. Having calmed down Vanya and left her to protect Klaus, Three had sprinted in the direction of her siblings. She was just starting to fix her relationship with Vanya, and she wasn’t going to allow these goons to ruin that by killing them all.

“IS IT JUST THE TWO OF THEM?” She screamed over the echoing gunshots. All she received in response was a nod of confirmation from Diego as he reached for more weapons. When in a physical fight, Allison had no leverage, no incredible aim or unbelievable strength to hold over her enemies. But that wasn’t going to stop her from winning a battle. Her hits and punches were almost as accurate as Diego’s knives, causing injury to any who came in to contact.

As the commotion continued, Five zapped in and out, disarming and disabling Hazel and Cha Cha. He knew all their tricks, he had, after all, been trained by the same organisation. For a moment he had an advantage. Then a single bullet struck a soaring knife, shattering it to pieces. Tiny shards of metal embedded themselves in Five’s exposed skin. Hazel grabbed him by the neck, pressing down hard on his airway. Black spots began to surround his vision. His lack of oxygen was preventing him from jumping out of Hazel’s grasp. He scratched and kicked at his former colleague, glancing around the area looking for a weapon.

But, in the end, a weapon wasn’t needed.

One second Hazel was on top of Five, going for the kill and the next Five was released and a screaming Hazel was dragged away by a blue haze.

* * *

Klaus was no stranger to feeling helpless, but this was a whole new level. He’d spent countless mission acting as lookout, considered too “unpredictable” to join the fight. But, had things gone sideways, Four would have rushed in using all his combat skills to help protect his siblings. He couldn’t to that in the situation. His body was in a paralysed state. There was no way for him to help.

So, he watched from the sidelines. Reginald had always told him how useless he was, it turns out the old man was probably right. There was nothing he could do but pray to the little girl upstairs for his siblings safety.

Unfortunately, that little girl didn’t seem to be listening. All of sudden, Five was on the floor, being strangled by one of the masked assassins. Klaus yelled, desperate to be heard in the hope that The Umberella Academy would notice their brother slowly losing air. But they just kept fighting.

Five was going to die.

The thought broke Klaus. He released a deadly scream and curled in on himself. His knees smacked against the tiled floor, but the physical pain could not compare to the agony in his heart.

A wave a freezing wind crashed into him.

Something was happening...

* * *

Vanya was terrified. She had no idea what she was capable of and couldn’t bear the thought of accidentally injuring her siblings. So, she stayed out of the fight. Instead, Vanya stood strong at her brothers side, ready to protect him should the intruders somehow defeat the Academy. To keep her mind from thinking the worst, Vanya studied her brother’s face. It was a rare thing, seeing her brother look peaceful. She’d never seen his body so still.

As though she had jinxed things, Klaus body began to convulse violently, his heart rate increasing dangerously. A blue light escaped his frozen fingers, drifting towards the door and out into the hallway. Vanya wasn’t sure whether to be mesmerised or afraid. For some reason, she followed the aqua glow as it made its way towards the heart of the battle.

Suddenly, the haze brightened, flashing like lightning. A figure then appeared in the centre of the glow. It turned towards her flashing a recognisable smile before rushing in to the fight. Where had she seen that smile before? She just couldn’t seem to put her finger on it.

Then it clicked.

Ben.

Almost as if waiting for her epiphany, Ben chose that moment to unleash The Horror. Tentacles ripped Hazel from Five, throwing him into the wall with more force than Luther, allowing Five to finally take a gasp of air. Cha Cha began to flee realising there was no way to win against Number Six. But she didn’t run fast enough. In less than a second, The Horror had grabbed the female assasin and launched her at her partner. Both were left unconscious, in a bloody pile on the hospital floor.

The Hargreeves siblings were in shock. Ben turned to them, giving them a nod of respect and comfort as he once again disappeared and faded out of existence.

That was when Klaus woke up.


End file.
